Campbell Soup Kids – Open House Kansas City

The Campbell Soup Kids Open House for “The Endearing Art of Grace Drayton, Creator of the Campbell Soup Kids” exhibit will take place in Kansas City on March 23rdat the United Federation of Doll Clubs museum.

An important part of the UFDC Mission is the preservation and history of dolls. Our Doll Museum in Kansas City offers doll lovers and collectors the opportunity to see many unique dolls and items related to dolls that they may not see elsewhere. The dolls on display at the Museum offer an exciting, unforgettable experience to visitors, often evoking favorite memories from childhood. The history of dolls, from earliest times to current trends, is preserved at the UFDC Museum and Campbell Soup Kids open house will be the culmination of the exhibit that has been ongoing.

Created by Grace G. Drayton (1877-1936), a famous illustrator, the characters became famous as the “Campbell’s Soup Kids.” Grace Drayton was a staff artist for the Philadelphia Press and Evening Journal and was a prolific illustrator of magazine advertisements and children’s books. Grace’s husband, Theodore Wiederseim, worked at the Ketterlineous Lithographic Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia. He recommended Grace’s work to Campbell because of her illustrations of little children that featured round faces and rosy cheeks. Grace adapted her drawings for the soup company and in 1905 the Campbell’s Soup Kids ads began to appear everywhere – on the sides of streetcars and in magazines.

The Campbell Soup Kids dolls were enormously popular. Campbell licensed the E. I. Horsman Company to manufacturer the dolls after the likeness of the advertising illustrations. The E.I. Horsman Company was a leader in the doll industry and maker of many dolls based on famous characters, as well as many originals.house

The dolls in the current UFDC collection, which include several rare and never-before-seen items, are on loan from Ursula Mertz, a researcher of American Composition dolls, and a member of the UFDC Oversight Committee. A special presentation by Ursula Mertz will be given at the Open House.

The Endearing Art of Grace Drayton, Creator of the Campbell Soup Kids open house will be from 1:00 p.m. To 4:00 p.m. On March 23rd, 2018. Ample parking is available. Don’t miss out on this exciting event! The UFDC Doll Museum and Research Library is located at 10900 N. Pomona Avenue in Kansas City Missouri. Phone is 816-891-7040. The museum hours are Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. https://www.ufdc.org/museum/special-exhibits/